The present invention resides in a packaging apparatus for various relatively thin and long rolls. It is known for such respective rolls that it is easy, in principle, to package the rolls because after an outer periphery of the roll is wrapped by the packaging paper it is sufficient to merely put the excess portions of the packaging paper edges extending from the opposite ends of the roll into a center shaft hole thereof. However, there are various problems in automating the packaging operations with high efficiency.
Firstly, a packaging appparatus responsive to various rolls of different sizes is required. The conventional packaging apparatus using packaging paper of a fixed size is clearly inadequate from this point of view. Further, in one of the conventional packaging techniques, in which a roll of packaging paper is prepared in an overhead position and a paper derived from the paper roll is cut after it wraps a roll put on a receiving roller, it is required to prepare paper rolls having different widths according to the sizes of the rolls to be wrapped. Further, in this method, it is difficult to tightly wrap relatively thin rolls and it requires a complex mechanism to put adhesive on and along the edges of the packaging paper sheet cut from the paper roll. Further, it is known that a mechanism for feeding rolls to be packaged to a wrapping position, a mechanism for treating the edges of the packaging paper and a mechanism for supplying the packaging paper, etc., affect the packaging efficiency considerably although the efficiency is mainly determined by a packaging paper wrapping mechanism.
The term "packaging paper sheet" used here means a sheet of any material usable for packaging purpose.